Companies round Port Tampa see enhance as cruises make comeback

Cruises are returning to Tampa with COVID precautions

Jennifer Holton reports

TAMPA, Florida. – Tampas Cruise comeback was put in the books on Thursday morning when the first cruise ship in a year and a half returned to port.

The Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas was at 50 percent capacity, meaning that between 1,000 and 1,500 passengers were on board on its voyage to the Bahamas.

All were tested before leaving COVID-19, and anyone over 12 had to show a vaccination card.

“When we got on the boat, at least 10 people asked me if I had my vaccination card and negative COVID test,” said passenger Diane Harrington. “They didn’t let you on this boat without the boat.”

The return of the cruise is a huge win for businesses in downtown Tampa as well.

Economic research and business advisors estimate that a 3,000-passenger ship generates an average of $ 334,000 in onshore passenger and crew spend per visit.

That’s a win for nearby locations like the Florida Aquarium, Sparkman’s Wharf, and mom and pop restaurants.

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Zelda’s Café and Deli is less than 120 meters from Port Tampa Bay. Waitress Julia Whitter said the cruise industry kept her afloat.

“Oh, a lot, a lot,” she said. “Because it’s not just the crew and the people who get on the ship, there are a lot of people involved – like the port, the people unloading the stuff, so it affects a lot, yeah.”

Whitter says they would have likely closed during the pandemic if the construction workers hadn’t done business.

“Many people with COVID have moved out. Although we have a lot of condos around us, a lot of people have moved out. “She explained.

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The journey of the serenade on Thursday evening was delayed by a few hours and passengers who arrived early found themselves in Zelda.

“This is a place where everyone comes to relax and wait until time,” said Whitter. “So it has increased a bit.”

The port authorities have planned around 187 crossings with 400,000 passengers between now and September next year.

And the other cruise lines? Celebrity and Carnival are expected to return in November and Norwegian Cruise Lines in December.

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